Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Photos by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo We’d like to introduce you to some fabulous, feathered friends in the hornbill department! Three species have recently landed, and we can’t wait for you to get to know them.   Rhinoceros hornbill  Buceros rhinoceros    Jack has red eyes with a black ring around them. Biscuit has blueish-white eyes with a red ring around them. Meet Jack and Biscuit, our stunning male and female pair. Though they are similar in size and appearance, their eyes are distinctive. Jack has red eyes with a black rim. Biscuit has white eyes with a red rim. Hornbills mate for life and are extremely dedicated pairs. Visit them at Trail of Vines between siamangs—and fittingly— Glenn the rhino. Range: Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and the islands of Sumatra, Java and Borneo. Habitat: Primary and secondary tropical rainforest. They depend on large trees with adequately sized cavities for nesting. Diet: Rhinoceros Hornbills a...

 Posted by Woodland Park Zoo Communications Staff Humboldt penguins by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo New proactive, preventative measures to protect zoo birds from HPAI  As an increased measure to protect its birds from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), Woodland Park Zoo will be proactively moving some species within the zoo. To safeguard the health of flamingos and some crane species, who live in open-top habitats, these birds will be moved into more protective housing temporarily to prevent contact with wild mallards and other waterfowl.   Penguins will remain outdoors for now, as their pool and food sources don’t draw mallards into their habitat.   We appreciate the patience of our community and guests, who may miss seeing these beautiful birds for a while but who understand the importance of keeping them safe. Chilean flamingos, Annie Kwan/Woodland Park Zoo Update on the goose flock  On Nov. 14, the zoo received confirmation that ...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications, with contributions from animal keepers Erin Martin and Catherine Vine The Tropical Rainforest (TRF) building hasn’t reopened to the public just yet (we’ll share a schedule for inviting you back in as soon as we have some details) but there’s a lot happening inside. Our animal keepers are busy 7 days a week, caring for the many species that call it home—and every day our horticulture team tends to all the plants, flowers and trees that provide the lush backdrop for all of their habitats. Our our horticulture team tends to all the plants, flowers and trees that provide the lush backdrop for the naturalistic habitats in the  Tropical Rainforest building. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo The large, domed walk-through aviary inside of the TRF building is teeming with life—especially the feathered kind! It is an indoor oasis that is home to more than 30 birds of more than a dozen South American species. Some are artfully camouflaged while o...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications with Joanna Klass, Lead Animal Keeper Red-breasted goose at Woodland Park Zoo. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo You may already know that Woodland Park Zoo’s animal keepers are extraordinary! They’re passionate about what they do, they tend to the needs of all the different species in our care, and they have individual relationships with their animals based on a foundation of trust. But did you know that many of them are also deeply involved in conservation efforts for some of those animals’ wild cousins? Such is the case for Lead Animal Keeper, Joanna Klass. Joanna has worked with a lot of the zoo’s waterfowl species (different types of ducks, geese and swans) and she has a particular interest in red-breasted geese—one of the most threatened goose species in the world. Red-breasted geese are a smaller species (relative to other geese) with very distinct red, black and white blocks of color. Lead animal keeper Joanna Klass, seen here with...

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Today is World Health Day and we want to thank all of our visitors, members, staff, volunteers and our community for keeping health a top priority––not only for people, but for the animals too. We've asked you to visit your zoo with timed tickets (which helps spread folks out), to social distance (if you need help remembering how far six feet is, just imagine an adult tapir, from tail to snout, or our boa, Anahi, stretched all the way out!) and to mask up. You've been patient and kind as we've navigated the challenges of a new zoo experience and we want to acknowledge just how grateful we are for your understanding and willingness to go with the flow. We still have these precautions in place, but you can get a refresh on how to safely visit at www.zoo.org/visit/faq   as spring and summer heat up! For over a year now, much of the indoor space at Woodland Park Zoo has been closed to keep staff, visitors and animals healthy and safe duri...

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications We've had a very productive spring and summer here at Woodland Park Zoo with the births and hatchings of so many little ones. The newest addition to our baby boom is a tawny frogmouth chick! The new chick represents the 38th frogmouth hatched at the zoo since the species’ first hatching in 2009. The zoo is currently home to seven adult tawny frogmouths. A newly hatched tawny frogmouth chick looks just like a white cotton ball.  Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo Tawny frogmouths are nocturnal birds native to Australia. During the day, they perch on tree branches, using their cryptic camouflage to blend into their environment. The plumage of the tawny frogmouth is silver-gray, slightly paler below, streaked and mottled with black and rufous. Frogmouths are often mistaken as owls; although they have many habits similar to owls, they are actually more closely related to nightjars and whip-poor-wills, and do not have ...

Posted by Kirsten Pisto, Communications Saying goodbye is never easy, especially to a bird as endearing as Blueberry the hornbill. Known to some as Blue for short, she was an especially flirtatious bird who had the uncanny ability to brighten days and produce smiles. Everyone who met Blue agreed, she brought an air of auspiciousness and her love of life was only matched by her love of blueberries. Thank you for being our very special hornbill, we will miss you. Sweetest Blueberry. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Blueberry, our female knobbed hornbill, passed away due to chronic advanced liver disease and other age-related concerns. Blueberry was 22 years old and was considered a geriatric bird. Blueberry hatched in May 1997 at Woodland Park Zoo and was named after her favorite treat, blueberries! The statuesque bird lived in the zoo’s Conservation Aviary where visitors could see her and learn about hornbills. In 2015, she transitioned to becoming an ambassador animal...